Minecraft will be used as a place to test artificial intelligence

Microsoft’s world-building game Minecraft has found a new use other than as the ultimate time-killer – a proving ground for artificial intelligence. The game is part of a new initiative launched by Microsoft called Project AIX, which wants to use the sandbox game and its almost infinite possibilities to test artificial intelligence programs by having them tackle its virtual landscapes. It will all work by installing a new piece of software – also called AIX, which was developed in the UK – which can then be used to enable AI programs to control a character in the Minecraft world, with researchers getting feedback on how it reacts, and the consequences of the actions it takes. In a nutshell, this is computers being monitored playing video games to see…